Fulham will make the remarkably short 1.6 mile journey east to Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day; the Cottagers are winless in 22 visits to the Bridge, losing eight of the last 11, a sequence that dates back to 1979.
Chelsea vs Fulham Preview
Can Chelsea get back to winning ways? On Sunday, despite having 75% possession, the Blues mustered a miserly five shots on target, accumulating a mere 1.28 xG, as they were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Everton in the swirling wind at Goodison. Before this, Enzo Maresca's team had enjoyed five successive Premier League victories, and are now unbeaten in nine, so remain second, four points below leaders Liverpool, having played a game more. Given that, after this West London derby, Chelsea's next four opponents are Ipswich, Palace, Bournemouth and Wolves, the Blues are likely to hang around in the title race for a little while longer.
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Fulham though have already proved themselves capable of collecting points against the big boys, holding Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool to draws, all since the start of December. At the weekend however, Marco Silva's side were not quite as pleased with the point they collected, considering they played out a goalless draw with bottom of the table Southampton at Craven Cottage; those of us who sat through this game on Sunday wish we had made other plans. Nevertheless, the Cottagers have now lost just one of their last nine games, unbeaten in five, so can the Whites spring a surprise against their significantly more illustrious cross-Borough rivals?
Chelsea vs Fulham Head-to-Head Record
- Matches Played: 91.
- Chelsea Wins: 52. Draws: 27. Fulham Wins: 12.
Chelsea Team News
Marc Cucurella can return, having served his one-match ban at Goodison, but Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Benoît Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Roméo Lavia are all sidelined, while we're not likely to see Mykhailo Mudryk for a while, following a failed drugs test. For their sole mid-week Premier League fixture to date, Enzo Maresca made wholesale changes, as he's been doing in the EFL Cup and Conference League, but that was against rock-bottom Southampton, so it'll be interesting to see what he does here, considering the Blues aren't in action again until Monday at Ipswich. Goalkeeper Robert Sánchez and Nicolas Jackson would miss that trip to Portman Road if cautioned.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Fulham: (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernández, Caicedo, Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.
Chelsea Players to Watch vs Fulham
Cole Palmer has 11 Premier League goals to his name this season, while he was the only scorer when Fulham most-recently visited Stamford Bridge in January, so will he repeat the feat?
Fulham Team News
Kenny Tete is out, hence why Timothy Castagne filled-in at right-back on Sunday. In better news, Andreas Pereira can return, having served his one-match suspension against Southampton, while Joachim Andersen could also come back in, thereby featuring for the first time since 23 November following an achilles tendon issue. However, Reiss Nelson is sidelined long-term, while Emile Smith Rowe also didn't feature at the weekend due to a dead leg, but could return here, which would be a major boost considering he's scored both times he's previously started at Stamford Bridge. Lastly, Rodrigo Muniz started for only the second time since August on Sunday, so will he keep his place, or is Raúl Jiménez set to return up front?
Fulham predicted lineup vs Chelsea: (4-3-3): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukić, Wilson, Pereira, Iwobi; Jiménez.
Fulham Player to Watch vs Chelsea
Bernd Leno has made 45 saves in the Premier League this season, only seven goalkeepers have produced more this season, while the German has only ever kept three clean sheets in 12 appearances against Chelsea, conceding 14 times.
Chelsea vs Fulham Prediction
We are backing Chelsea for a very comfortable victory on Boxing Day. The Blues always beat Fulham at home and we think this latest clash will be no different: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham.
Chelsea vs Fulham FAQs - Premier League
How to watch Chelsea vs Fulham Premier League game on TV channel?
Chelsea vs Fulham Premier League game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: Amazon Prime Video.
- USA: Peacock & SiriusXM FC
- Canada: Fubo Sports Network Canada
How to watch Chelsea vs Fulham Premier League game on live streaming?
Chelsea vs Fulham Premier League game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Amazon Prime Video.
- USA: Peacock & SiriusXM FC
- Canada: fuboTV Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Chelsea vs Fulham in the Premier League?
Chelsea vs Fulham takes place on Thursday 26 December 2024, with kick off at 15:00 (GMT), 10:00 (EDT) & 7:00 (PST).